A 10th-century geographer, traveling in Russia's Caucasus Mountains, referred to them as the "mountain of tongues" due to the diversity of languages preserved in the isolated villages. This diversity continues today in an area which supports 34 ethnic groups.

Britannia & Muscovy: English Silver at the Court of the Tsars, an exhibit of rare Elizabethan and Stuart silver and gold from the collections of the Kremlin Armoury Museum, will be featured at London's Gilbert Collection until January 28, 2007.

Aleksei Khetagurov, chief of icon restoration for the State Historical Museum in Moscow, hopes to reveal the face of history - literally - as he cleans dark patina from the surfaces of centuries-old icons.

The discovery of medieval foundations beneath Kirill Church in Kiev has both excited and frustrated researchers since the 12th-17th century remains were immediately covered to protect them from the elements.

Russian archaeologists have discovered a burial mound containing the remains of a lavishly dressed woman as well as items suggesting "the woman's professional involvement in the world of witchcraft and magic."